Telephone marketing and sales systems have been used by merchants for years to remotely accept orders from consumers without requiring a trip to a retail establishment. Merchants have traditionally advertised their products for sale to the public using print, radio and television media frequently including a telephone number for consumers to call to obtain further information and place orders for their products. Sales representatives at a centralized merchant sales facility answer the customer calls, answer questions and place orders for products.
Typically a merchant telephone sales facility includes sales representative stations. Such stations are each equipped with computer terminals for accessing product database and ordering systems. Each station further has a telephone. Incoming telephone calls from customers, placed using telephones at the customer premises, are carried by a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to the merchant telephone sales facility. Here the incoming lines are terminated at an automatic call distributor (ACD). The ACD monitors the sales representative stations for availability and activity, and routes the incoming calls to the telephone of the appropriate available sales representative. The ACD may include other functionality, such as receipt and display on the appropriate telephone of the telephone number of the calling party, using calling number identification (CID) data supplied by the PSTN.
Upon acceptance of an incoming telephone call, a sales representative solicits information from the calling party to determine the nature of the call, e.g., the product of interest to the caller, the type of information being sought, etc. The sales representative may also use the CID information to access any records about that customer that may be stored on a product database and ordering system. The ACD may further include a voice response unit (VRU) to automatically solicit preliminary information from customers, record the responses, route the call to an appropriate sales representative, and display or playback any recorded responses.
A disadvantage of such a prior art telephone marketing method is that there is no automatic way for the sales representative to know what materials prompted the customer to place the call or what information has been reviewed by the customer immediately prior to the call. Further, the sales representative must convey all information to the caller orally or by mailing or faxing information, such as graphic literature. Because the caller may not obtain sufficient or satisfactory types of information orally, and because of the delays and inability to interactively access the customer's needs if information is sent via mail or facsimile, the customer's product evaluation and selection process may be compromised and/or sales may be lost.
In addition to conventional print, radio and television advertising, merchants are increasingly making information available, and accepting orders over electronic data links. Using a home computer, a potential customer may access a merchant's electronic catalog system, obtain product information, and may place orders. While some merchants maintain dedicated computers called “servers” to provide dedicated dialup service over the PSTN, an increasing number of businesses are accessible over the Internet. In particular, the graphics capabilities and hot links (also referred to as hot spots, hyperlinks, and hypertext) supported by hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) of the Worldwide Web (WWW) sites of the Internet, have resulted in many merchants offering their own home pages advertising their products and services.
A “client” or potential customer can access the WWW of the Internet using a home, desktop, or personal computer (PC), running web browser software such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. The client personal computer, or the like, running the browser software, has communications interfacing means for connecting to and communicating with remote servers or web sites on the Internet, conventionally via a client server. The browser software displays textual and graphical information retrieved from the web on a video display or monitor. Digital audio information is conventionally played either through speakers internal to the PC or auxiliary external speakers. Control of and data entry into the PC is provided by a keyboard and graphical input device, i.e., mouse. In particular, the user moves a cursor displayed on the monitor to designate a desired portion of the display.
The browser software provides a tool for the user to navigate the web and other types of Internet sites (e.g., FTP file transfer protocol and Gopher sites), without having to know the lengthy uniform resource locator (URL) addresses of the sites to be accessed. Instead of entering the URL, the user employs the mouse to click on a highlighted portion of text (known as “hypertext”) or graphics (together known as “hyperlinks”), to retrieve associated information. The browser interprets the hypertext formatted as hypertext markup language (HTML) and transmitted using hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). If the hypertext points to an information source outside of the current hypertext page, it initiates a service request to the URL associated with the selected hypertext. Thus, each page of information in HTML format includes not only text and graphics, but the embedded addresses of sites having related information.
Most Internet applications, including HTTP, follow a client server model. One computer system, called the server, runs the hypertext database part of the application. The server is provided by a merchant or other information source maintaining a home page on the web. Other computers, called clients, request services from the server, usually in the form of information requests. On a UNIX system the server part of the application normally runs in the background and is called a “daemon,” pronounced “demon.” Servers are identified by the type of service involved. Therefore, a system running the HTTP server daemon is called an HTTP server. A given computer system can have multiple servers running simultaneously. Thus, a single server might simultaneously function as an HTTP server, an FTP server, and a LAN (local area network) server, as well as several other types of servers.
A transaction is initiated when the HTTP client requests a service or resource from the server. The client software uses a Unique Resource Identifier (URI) to determine where the desired resource resides on the Internet. A URI is either a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Uniform Resource Name (URN.) An URL specifies the actual location of the resource, while an URN identifies the place where the resource is located and must be translated into a an URL. In current practice URLs are always used for HTTP applications.
An HTTP server exists for the purpose of sending objects to a requester using the HTTP protocol. One such object is a Home Page. A Home Page is simply a document that has been composed or “markedup” using HTML.
A typical request-response scenario might proceed as follows. A user on a Microsoft Windows equipped operating system (OS) may be executing a Web Browser such as Netscape. The user clicks on a hot spot within the document that contains an URL. The browser recognizes the tag as identifying an URL, encapsulates it within an HTTP wrapper and passes it to the OS TCP stack, which includes code to handle the data. The OS then initiates a connection with the server's host system. Once the OS and the host system establish communication, the OS ships the request to the host. This request is passed through the various protocol layers to the HTTP daemon or server. The server interprets the request, checks its MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) type, and sends the client the resource and information about the MIME type of the resource. When the OS receives the resource it passes it back to the browser, which examines the response. If the returned object is an HTML document, the browser displays the document on the computer display screen. If the object is a MIME type that the browser cannot handle, it checks its associate table and launches the associated helper program software, passing the resource to it for processing. In the meantime, once the request has been satisfied, either the server or the client breaks the connection, thus freeing up the browser for another request.
While the Internet and, particularly the WWW, provide for rapid dissemination of data to potential customers, interactivity is limited to the retrieval of information under client request, i.e., the pull model server. That is, the customer has control over the information retrieved from the available pages of information on the merchant's server. However, there is no means for the merchant to interactively guide the user through the various pages of information stored on the server. If a potential customer cannot locate or identify information on a product of interest, the merchant has no means to interactively assist, nor would the merchant even know of the dilemma of the customer.
An apparent lack of security is another problem that must be addressed by merchants in selling services and products on the Internet. These problems include an inability to verify the authenticity of a purchase or ability to pay for a purchase, particularly since the information may be compromised as it traverses the Internet. Therefore, many merchants rely on conventional telephone calls to take orders and accept credit card and other forms of payment. However, this requires that the potential customer identify the appropriate merchant telephone number, abandon their computer and possibly disconnect from their Internet access provider (ISP) in order to place a telephone call to the merchant.
Accordingly, it was perceived that a need existed for an Internet type browser system that would automatically initiate connectivity with a merchant over a switched telephone network, independent of the data network providing Internet connectivity with the merchant. It was further perceived that a need existed for an Internet type data retrieval system that would accommodate simultaneous and coordinated data transmission over a packet data network, and dedicated communications over a switched telephone network, between a user and a remote information provider site.
The system and method described in Dekelbaum et. al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,682 (682 patent), issued Nov. 17, 1998, has been offered, at least in part, in response to these and other needs.
The Dekelbaum et al. 682 patent describes a combination of network systems which includes an Internet type access arrangement having an autodialer for automatically establishing communications with the facility of a merchant over a switched network, while maintaining Internet connectivity over a packet data network. The autodialer, in combination with the merchant's server, coordinates between the Internet session and the newly established switched connectivity. The session history from the prior Internet session is supplied to a sales representative receiving the autodialed call. The sales representative is provided with a terminal for controlling the merchant's server to push data to the client in response to the interactive session simultaneously conducted over the switched network.
In a typical use of this system, a method of establishing connectivity with a remote site based on hypertext format messages is initiated by a user clicking on the appropriate hot spot or hypertext of the Merchant's Web page. This causes the Web Browser to encapsulate the appropriate URL with an HTTP wrapper and pass the message to the Windows operating system TCP stack. The operating system connects to and passes the request to the host server. The host server responds with the requested resource. The operating system receives and passes the resource to the browser, and the browser examines the MIME type to determine if it should launch the autodialer helper program. Alternatively, if the resource includes an applet, the executable content of the applet forms the autodialer, which is executed by the Web Browser directly. If the autodialer helper program is launched, it initiates a dialing sequence. Further information regarding the architecture and operation of this system may be obtained by reference to the above identified U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,682. That patent is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
In addition to the foregoing systems and methods proposed in the 682 patent, there is yet another hyperlink methodology now in use for initiating simultaneous data and voice communication over the Internet and the PSTN. This system is designed for use in a situation where a merchant deals with potential customers or end users of his services through an independent sales intermediary or reseller, i.e. an intermediary business. The reseller or intermediary then markets the product or service to merchants who rely on print and the like advertising and electronic commerce in marketing their products.
A survey by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) found in 1999 that 95 percent of their respondents use the Internet for sales and marketing applications, up from 83 percent one year ago. The DMA reports that there has been a steady increase in the percentage of direct marketers having web sites, with 90 percent reporting a web presence this year. Two-thirds of the direct marketing companies surveyed said that their web site is targeted toward other businesses.
Thus, it is apparent that there is a growing electronic commerce market, and in particular a business to business market. The foregoing review of the development of systems to handle this demand makes it apparent that there is a need for improved systems and methodology for using a hybrid packet data and switched network for handling business to business sales in organizations which handle a large volume of transactions with independent resellers or intermediaries.
A prior art proposal for meeting that need is illustrated in the system is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a system for using the Internet and a call button hyperlink on a home or web page of a reseller to initiate on the Internet a telephony connection between the reseller and a prospective customer. Such a prospective customer is sometimes referred to as an end user herein. The telephony connection may be maintained via a public switched communications network (PSTN), and exist simultaneously with the Internet connection.
Referring to FIG. 3, the Internet is shown as a cloud 300. The service providing merchant or service provider operates a web server 302 and a telephone switch 304. The site of an intermediary or reseller is indicated at 306. A potential end user customer of the intermediary or reseller at 306 is shown at 308. The reseller maintains a web site or page on the server 302. The web page of the reseller includes a hyperlink, which is indicated by a graphic display, such a button, highlighted text, or the like. The web page includes an invitation to press or activate the hyperlink button to initiate an immediate telephone call to the web page proprietor. In this instance, the web page is that of the reseller. When potential end user customer reaches the web page of the reseller by browsing or by address, he examines the content of the web page and encounters the invitation to click on the hyperlink button. This is shown by the broken line at 1 in FIG. 3.
Upon activation of the hyperlink by clicking on or “pressing” the button, the server 302 validates the request and signals the telephone switch 304 to place calls to the reseller 306 and to the prospective end user customer 308. This is shown by the broken line at 2 in FIG. 3. The telephone switch 304 thereupon calls the reseller 306 and indicates that the reseller has a hyperlink call. This is shown by the broken line 3. The switch then calls the potential customer. This is shown at 4 in FIG. 3. The two calls are then bridged together by the telephone switch. The web server may now send customer data via e-mail to the reseller, and a thank you e-mail to the customer.
Among the advantages claimed for this system are the following. A simple add-in button generates a personal interaction between the provider company and a prospect, helping to convert browsers to buyers. When an interested web shopper encounters a call button on a web site, they merely click on it, initiating a pop-up menu. The menu asks the user for a call back phone number of their choice, and a time for the call back, ranging from immediately to several hours. In this manner the shopper controls the timing of the return call. There is no need to dial an 800 number and wait for a reply, and there is no need for special software. No additional hardware, software or extra phone lines are needed for a business to start using the service. It allows the merchant customer to talk to his customers at the critical moment, when they are most interested in the product or service of the merchant. Questions may be immediately answered and obstacles to closing a sale removed.
A system of the general type just described has been used commercially in the United States by USA Global Link of Fairfield, Iowa 52556. Information is available at www.instantcall.com. Another seemingly similar service appears to be on the market by PrivaCom B.V. of the Netherlands. See http://privanet.com/cnt introduction.html.
While these prior systems and services have advantages, and have achieved a measure of success in the marketplace, they also are subject to disadvantages. A principal disadvantage resides in the fact that the audience of potential end user customers is primarily limited to those who reach the web site of the reseller by browsing or by seeking that site by address.
A need exists for a system and method of operation of a hybrid communication system employing a switched telephone network and a packet data network that implements push model methodology to initiate switched telephone network connectivity between a merchant and a prospective end user customer. A need exists for permitting either a service provider or a service reseller employing such a system to target prospective customers by address, rather than reliance on the prospective customers accessing the provider or the reseller's web page.